After my last post on organic vegetable gardening, I had some questions from readers about when to buy organic. Choosing whether or not to buy organic fruits and vegetables can be overwhelming. Purchasing organic produce is often more expensive, but there are certain fruits and vegetables that are not worth the extra cost. The question is, how do you know which foods to buy organic? You’re in luck! Today I am going to give you a list of fruits and vegetables that are known to be significantly higher in pesticides that are worth the organic price tag and a list of foods are not worth buying organic.

16 Foods to Buy Organic:

Strawberries

Apples

Nectarines

Peaches

Celery

Grapes

Cherries

Spinach

Tomatoes

Bell Peppers

Cherry Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Leafy Greens

Potatoes

Snap Peas

Raspberries and Blackberries: Although Strawberries are at the top of the list, most berries have a higher chance of having pesticides because of the grooves of the fruit. I would recommend buying organic to avoid any extra pesticides in your diet because our food system uses enough pesticides as is.

14 Foods Not to Buy Organic:

Avocados

Sweet Corn

Pineapples

Cabbage

Onions*

Asparagus

Mangoes

Papaya

Kiwis

Eggplant

Grapefruit*

Honeydew*

Cantaloupe*

Cauliflower

*When eating foods like melon that have a thick skin that you do not eat, it is still important to wash these foods. When you slice into a melon, if there is bacteria on the skin you will contaminate the rest of the fruit with the knife.

So as you can see, there are many fruits and vegetables on both lists. For the foods not on either list, you should use your best judgement. I tend to opt for organic when I can, but sometimes the difference in price is far too great and I choose non-organic. It is important to remember with ADHD, you are likely more sensitive to pesticides than others and you should try to buy organic when you can. If you have any questions about this, please let me know! Your best bet is to shop at your local farmer’s market to get fresh local organic produce.

I would love to hear from you! What fruits or vegetables do you think should be on the list to buy organic? Leave a comment to share. Stay tuned for more recipes coming soon! Please leave a comment if you are looking for a specific recipe type or for example, a new chicken recipe. I would love to help! Thanks for reading!